The  College  Beautiful 


J\  Handbook  of 
Lafayette  College, 
at  Ea$ton>  Penna* 


/  will  point  you  out  the  right  path  of  a  virtuous  and  noble  education; 

laborious  indeed  at  the  first  ascent,  but  else  so  smooth, 

so  green,  so  full  of  goodly  prospect.— Milton. 


■r      "Y 


Li 
UNIVERSITY "t '  ^018. 


UNIVERiilTy    .     LINOIS. 
VERITAS  LIBER  ABIT." 


OBRARY 
UNIVER.  |N0/S 


LAFAYETTE  COLLEGE. 


SOME   PAGES   OF   ITS   PAST; 

PICTURES  OF  ITS  PRESENT;  AND 

FORECASTS   OF  ITS   FUTURE. 


"  Knowledge  does  not  compose  all  that  is  contained  in  the  large  term  of 

education;  the  feelings  are  to  be  disciplined ;    the  passiojis  are  to 

be  restrained ;  true  and  worthy  motives  are  to  be  inspired; 

a  profound  religious  feeling  is  to  be  instilled 

and  a  pure  morality  inculcated  under 

all  circumstances." — Webster. 


Press  of 
Allen,  Lane  &  Scott, 
Philadelphia. 


1  *  In  contrasting  the  schools  of  the  present  day  with  those  of  forty  years  ago, 

the  comparison  is  such  as  to  fill  one  of  my  age  with  depression 

and  envy  at  the  immense  advantages  enjoyed  by  the  youth 

of  the  present  generation." — Huxley. 


CONTENTS. 

^  • 

I.  The  Ideals  of  Lafayette 5 

II.  Lafayette  College 14 

III.  The  Engineering  Courses 47 

IV.  The  Course  in  Chemistry  and  Metallurgy 49 

V.  Christian  Influences 54 

VI.  The  Literary  Societies 57 

VII.  Athletics 59 


L 
THE  IDEALS  OF  LAFAYETTE. 


fAFAYETTE  COLLEGE  stands  for  two  ideas.  It  is  a 
small  college,  and  it  is  a  Christian  college.  It  be- 
lieves that  in  both  of  these  facts  there  is  strength. 
That  in  days  of  growth  away  from  such  condi- 
tions she  continues  to  represent  them  is  due  not  to  her 
being  left  behind  in  the  race  but  to  deliberate  choice.  In 
each  is  contained  a  principle  which  she  believes  vital ;  in 
the  one  the  view  that  the  function  of  the  college  is  sound 
and  systematic  teaching;  in  the  other  the  belief  that  the 
training  of  the  mind  should  take  place  in  an  atmosphere  of 
high  moral  and  spiritual  earnestness.  Contact  of  teacher 
and  taught,  not  at  one  but  at  many  points ;  not  only  as 
professor  and  student,  but  also  as  counselor  and  friend ;  not 
merely  fitting  the  minds  for  intellectual  achievement,  but 
developing  men  for  moral  mastery;  such  are  some  of  the 
ideals  involved  in  this  view  of  the  scope  of  our  College. 

Hand-in-hand  with  the  conservatism  represented  by  this 
point  of  view,  there  is  a  conservatism  in  methods  that  is 
not  less  characteristic.  Recognizing  with  the  very  first  the 
scientific  renaissance  of  the  present  age,  Lafayette  began  her 
life  with  engineering  ambitions,  and  revived  them  with 
vigor  in  1866.     While  she  founded  and  built  the  fine  school 


of  technical  studies  so  liberally  endowed  by  Mr.  Ario 
Pardee,  she  liberalized  her  courses,  differentiated  her  curric- 
ulum, gave  a  large  and  notable  place  to  the  departments  of 
physical  science,  and  led  the  way  in  the  application  of 
modern  languages,  including  English,  to  sound  discipline 
and  true  culture.  In  all  this  she  set  her  face  firmly  against 
transforming  schools  of  technology  into  mere  shops,  and 
the  study  of  modern  languages  into  mere  dilettantism.  The 
new  education  rightly  urges  the  importance  of  training 
hand  and  eye,  and  deplores  the  too  long  continued  sway  of 
the  mere  theorist.  The  perversion  of  this  view  would  swing 
the  pendulum  to  the  other  extreme  and  replace  intellectual 
mastery  with  manual  skill,  and  the  engineer  with  the  handi- 
craftsman, which  is  even  worse.  Lafayette  has  striven,  and 
striven  successfully,  to  assimilate  her  growth  and  expansion 
to  her  original  methods  of  thorough  work  and  steady  dis- 
cipline. The  results  are  seen  in  all  departments,  where  a 
large  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  mother  tongue,  some 
liberal  culture  in  the  foreign  languages  primarily  learned  for 
their  practical  value,  and  the  essentials  of  citizenship  in  po- 
litical and  economic  knowledge,  are  required  of  all. 

In  dealing  with  the  rapid  growth  of  scientific  knowledge, 
and  the  great  increase  of  materials  for  college  teaching,  the 
popular  demand  for  extended  and  varied  courses  has  been 
met,  first,  by  the  subdivision  of  courses,  and,  secondly,  by 
the  admission  of  elective  studies  into  the  junior  and  senior 
years. 


The  single  course  of  1865  has  grown  into  three:  the 
classical  course,  which  is  formed  upon  the  historic  basis  of  the 
humanities,  rich  in  classical  learning,  philological,  historical, 
and  literary,  not  less  strong  in  the  accurate  discipline  of  math- 
ematics, physics,  chemistry,  and  astronomy,  and  by  means  of 
the  electives  of  the  later  years  varied  and  supplemented  by 
such  work  as  each  student  may  select,  informing  the  mind 
and  preparing  the  wray  for  professional  work  in  law,  medicine, 
theology,  and  the  higher  business  careers;  the  Latin  scientific 
course,  which  is  similar  to  the  classical  course,  but  replaces 
the  Greek  which  is  required  for  that  course  with  extended 
courses  in  modern  languages,  and  more  work  in  the  physical 
sciences;  the  general  scientific  course,  which  omits  the  ancient 
classics  entirely,  and  seeks  by  the  application  of  the  methods 
of  classical  philology  and  history  to  make  use  of  the  modern 
languages  to  secure  the  same  discipline  and  a  more  distinctly 
modern  culture.  The  rich  courses  in  English  classics,  which 
form  a  part  of  this  plan,  afford  one  of  the  many  illustrations 
of  the  influence  of  Prof.  Francis  A.  March  in  forming  the 
ideals  of  Lafayette. 

The  degree  in  which  elective  studies  have  been  admitted 
to  these  courses  has  been  determined  by  two  considera- 
tions. In  the  first  place,  a  careful  study  of  the  needs  of 
the  field  has  been  continuously  made,  and  the  entrance  re- 
quirements have  been  adopted  with  due  regard  to  securing 
the  best  possible  material  from  this  field.  Proceeding  from 
this    starting    point,    a    standard    and    scheme    of  study    has 


8 

been  developed,  fitted  to  the  development  of  the  actual  ma- 
terial at  hand.  As  new  sciences  have  demanded  a  share  in 
the  curriculum,  they  have  been  admitted  to  a  fixed  place, 
or  as  alternatives  with  others,  and  as  the  entrance  require- 
ments have  risen  with  the  improvement  of  the  school  sys- 
tem the  time  thus  gained  has  been  granted  either  to  a 
choice  of  one  or  more  studies  already  pursued  for  more  ad- 
vanced and  extended  study,  or  for  the  pursuit  of  some  sub- 
ject not  heretofore  embraced  in  the  curriculum. 

A  more  radical  influence  has  been  at  work  for  several 
years  in  the  demand  of  certain  professional  schools  for  work 
in  college  in  anticipation  of  the  more  fundamental  needs 
of  the  professions.  To  meet  these  demands,  Hebrew,  New 
Testament  Greek,  Theism,  Christian  Evidences,  the  History 
of  Philosophy,  and  some  other  courses  are  offered  to  those 
preparing  for  the  ministry;  Constitutional  History,  Black- 
stone,  International  Law,  and  kindred  courses,  to  the  stu- 
dents of  law;  while  in  response  to  the  large  demands  of 
some  of  the  medical  schools,  a  course  in  Biology,  extend- 
ing over  nearly  half  of  the  junior  and  senior  years,  in  con- 
nection with  the  usual  courses  in  Chemistry  and  Physics, 
prepares  the  graduate  for  admission  to  the  second  year 
of  these  schools. 

The  whole  system  of  elective  studies,  however,  is  kept 
under  check  by  a  plan  which  prevents  the  dissipation  of 
mental  effort,  and  gives  direction  to  the  whole  college 
course,  and  permits  no  evasion  of  the  demand  for  method- 


MOUNT    LAFAYETTE -ABOVE    AND    BELOW. 


ical  work.  No  such  thing  as  heedless  choice  of  unrelated 
topics,  based  on  no  principle  save  that  of  following  the  line 
of  least  resistance,  is  permitted. 

The  technical  courses  being  professional  in  aim,  have  as 
yet  but  little  room  for  elective  studies.  They  are  divided 
into  the  schools  of  civil,  mining,  and  electrical  engineering, 
and  chemistry ;  a  division  itself  implying  a  decided  choice. 
Some  special  needs  are,  of  course,  recognized  from  time  to 
time  in  these  courses,  especially  in  the  chemical  department, 
and  a  growing  tendency  towards  subdivision  exists. 

In  dealing  with  all  these  courses  a  single  method  is 
impracticable.  Yet,  however  much  mere  uniformity  may  be 
shunned,  a  vital  unity  is  sought  and  generally  secured. 
Small  divisions  under  experienced  teachers  secure  a  definite 
discipline.  The  work  is  clearly  conceived  as  college  and 
not  university  work.  A  definite  daily  routine  in  which 
lecture,  text-book,  and  laboratory  methods  are  combined, 
is  firmly  established.  Pure  lecture  courses  are  few,  and 
but  a  small  proportionate  value  is  placed  on  final  exami- 
nation. After  daily  drills,  frequent  papers,  constant  ex- 
periment, and  satisfactory  review,  the  final  examination  can 
only  confirm  the  record  of  good,  and  not  replace  that  of 
poor,  term  work. 

Perhaps  in  this  epoch  of  reckless  adoption  of  university 
methods  by  so  many  colleges,  such  an  account  sounds  un- 
progressive  and  very  far  from  being  worthy  of  a  place 
among  "  ideals."     Yet  this  is  far  from  true.     As  is  always 


IO 

true  of  reasonable  routine,  there  is  little  friction,  and  the 
end  is  satisfactorily  attained.  This  is  rendered  doubly  true 
by  the  richness  and  breadth  of  choice.  And  there  are  no 
days  of  dire  trial  and  tribulation  when  weeks  of  wasted 
lecture  courses  are  summed  up  in  a  few  days  of  searching 
examinations  and  long  lists  of  failures. 

Lafayette  believes  in  work ;  work  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher  in  full  consciousness  of  the  duty  to  impart  knowl- 
edge ;  work  on  the  part  of  the  student  to  master  in  regular 
order  what  is  taught  him.  The  responsibility  for  failures  is 
pretty  equally  divided  between  teacher  and  taught,  and  the 
result  is  that  the  air  on  her  beautiful  hill  is  not  too  rare 
to  be  breathed  by  a  teacher,  and  that  noble  word  is  not 
esteemed  a  symbol  of  reproach. 

Throughout  all  the  teaching,  in  dutiful  and  willing  recog- 
nition of  the  Christian  character  of  the  College,  there  is 
reverent  regard  for  truth  as  all  alike  divine.  There  is  no 
room  for  controversial  or  sectarian  teaching.  Under  the 
broad  mantle  of  the  great  Church  which  has  preached 
liberty  of  thought  and  liberty  of  action  to  the  world,  the 
College  rests  secure.  It  asks,  and  does  not  need  to  de- 
mand, loyalty  to  the  truth,  reverent  scholarship,  and  Chris- 
tian fellowship  from  the  teachers.  It  seeks  to  inculcate  the 
same  ideals  in  the  students. 

In  order  to  secure  the  highest  results  from  the  methods 
thus  employed  in  making  educated  men,  the  students  are 
brought  together  upon  the  campus  in  a  number  of  dormi- 


OLD    SOUTH. 


IT 

tory  buildings.     The   College  life  is  upon  the  campus.      Its 


ideals  are  therefore  those  of  the  College  itself  and  not  of 
the  town.  And  it  is  held  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  duties 
of  the  teachers  and  officers  of  the  College  to  keep  these 
ideals  sound.  One  of  the  strongest  forces  in  human  de- 
velopment is  found  in  communal  life.  The  dormitory  life 
is  very  free.  The  restraints  of  home  and  general  society 
are  largely  withdrawn.  It  is  through  college  public  opinion 
that  the  boys  learn  to  be  men ;  to  do  things  because  they 
are  right,  reasonable,  and  of  good  report,  and  not  because 
they  are  enforced  by  hourly  oversight  and  precept.  As 
college  boys  are  not  average  boys,  but  a  picked  body,  the 
best  socially,  intellectually,  and  morally  of  their  home  com- 
munities, the  standard  is  naturally  high.  The  force  of  col- 
lege opinion  is  therefore  strong,  and  it  grows  stronger 
each  year.  The  great  concern  of  college  teachers  is  to  see 
that  in  growing  stronger,  it  also  grows  nobler,  purer,  and 
better. 

Among  the  influences  that  tell  upon  this  public  opinion 
from  the  student  side  are  those  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  always  vigorous  and  fruitful  of  much  good;  the 
literary  societies  ("  Washington  "  and  "  Franklin  "),  strong, 
well  equipped,  and  doing  a  great  work ;  and  the  Greek-letter 
fraternities.  The  first  step  in  housing  these  fraternities  upon 
the  campus  has  been  taken  by  the  D.  K.  E.  fraternity ;  a  very 
hopeful  step,  for  whatever  sets  the  fraternity  more  and  more 
within  the  college  life  is  sure  to  hold  it  more  definitely  to  its 


12 

obligation  to  contribute  to  the  college  welfare.  Of  all  the 
forces  in  modern  college  life  the  fraternity  is  the  one  of  the 
most  doubtful  utility.  A  good  fraternity  can  only  be  useful, 
but  the  element  of  secrecy  makes  a  bond  that  often  proves 
a  barrier  to  the  speedy  acceptance  of  helpful  aid  and  advice 
from  those  outside  its  tie.  In  this  day  of  high  self-conscious- 
ness a  fraternity  rarely  loses  its  self-respect,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  once  common  troubles  of  the  past  will  never 
come  again.  The  fraternities  at  Lafayette  enjoy  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Faculty  and  seem  to  be  entering  upon  a  career  of 
growing  usefulness. 

The  two  ancient  and  beloved  literary  societies  have  occu- 
pied a  great  place  in  the  annals  of  the  College  and  deserve 
an  even  larger  place  in  her  life.  They  have  beautifully 
furnished  halls  and  well  chosen  libraries.  Excellent  work 
is  done  in  speaking,  debating,  and  essay- writing,  and  the 
student  is  trained  in  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  rules  of 
parliamentary  procedure.  The  annual  contests  between  the 
representatives  of  the  societies  in  oratory  and  debate  give 
the  public  an  opportunity  of  showing  their  appreciation  of 
the  work  that  is  done,  and  the  intercollegiate  contests  rally 
the  boys  to  a  recognition  of  the  heroes  of  brains  as  well  as 
of  brawn. 

In  the  broad  field  of  college  ideals  these  societies  occupy  a 
large  place.  Together  with  the  department  of  elocution, 
always  highly  honored  and  very  generally  required,  they  help 
to  lay  stress  upon  the  side  of  college  training  too  often  neg- 


13 

lected  ;  the  side  of  expression.  If  the  value  of  oratory  has 
declined,  the  importance  of  self-expression  has  increased. 
The  demand  for  plain,  but  direct,  clear,  and  cogent  speech 
has  greatly  grown.  Logic  has  taken  the  place  of  rhetoric, 
indeed;  but  speech,  written  statement,  plans  and  specifica- 
tions, are  everywhere  demanded.  So  these  societies,  with 
their  practical,  earnest  methods,  are  among  the  great  influ- 
ences of  Lafayette  life. 

Lafayette's  ideals  are  neither  many  nor  unreal.  They  lie  in 
the  small  college,  loyally  Christian,  devoted  to  true  teaching, 
liberal  in   scope,  definite   in  plan,  and  conservative  in  spirit. 


IL 
LAFAYETTE  COLLEGE. 

By  Prof.  W.  B.  Owen,  Ph.  D. 


]HE    early    history    of    Lafayette    College,   though 
within   the   memory   of  many  persons  yet  living, 
seems  already  to  her  younger  sons  to  belong  to 
the   olden  times.     We  must  go  back  more  than 
seventy  years  to  find  the  humble  beginning. 

Easton  was  then  a  thriving  town  of  about  twenty-five  hun- 
dred inhabitants,  and  was  quite  remarkable  in  at  least  two 
respects,  the  marvelous  beauty  of  its  situation  and  surround- 
ings and  the  culture  and  literary  taste  of  its  society.  Its 
clergy  were  conspicuous  for  scholarly  attainments.  Its  law- 
yers were  known  all  over  the  State  for  their  learning  and 
ability,  and  in  its  business  circles  were  several  men  who  added 
scholarly  pursuits  to  their  other  labors.  The  ladies  also 
shared  in  the  intellectual  life,  three  of  them  having  found 
places  in  the  collections  of  American  poetry.  Easton  was 
also  the  home  of  many  persons  distinguished  in  public  life, 
such  as  George  Taylor,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence ;  George  Wolf,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania ; 
Samuel  Sitgreaves,  Commissioner  to  Great  Britain  under 
President  Adams ;  James  M.  Porter,  Secretary  of  War  under 

(14) 


15 

President  Tyler;  Governor  A.  H.  Reeder,  Richard  Brodhead, 
of  the  United  States  Senate  ;  and  the  Hon.  Joel  Jones,  after- 
ward  Mayor  of  Philadelphia. 

The  intercourse  of  such  men  and  women  was  the  expres- 
sion of  their  intellectual  life  and  taste,  as  well  as  of  their 
social  instincts,  and  it  seems  natural  that  the  thought  should 
arise  in  their  minds  of  making  Easton  a  seat  of  learning  by 
founding  an  institution  for  the  higher  education. 

The  first  organized  movement  to  establish  a  college  was  a 
meeting  held  on  the  evening  of  December  27th,  1824,  at 
White's  Hotel,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  public  square, 
at  which  Col.  Thomas  McKeen  presided.  After  full  discus- 
sion, it  was  unanimously  voted,  a  that  it  is  expedient  to  estab- 
lish at  this  place  an  institution  of  learning  in  which  the  dead 
languages  and  the  various  branches  of  education  and  science 
usually  taught  in  colleges,  together  with  the  French  and 
German  languages,  civil  and  military  engineering,  and  mili- 
tary tactics  shall  be  taught." 

General  Lafayette  had  landed  in  New  York  City  on  the 
1 6th  of  August  previous,  on  his  last  visit  to  the  country  he 
had  so  nobly  served.  His  progress  throughout  the  land  was 
marked  by  one  continued  ovation,  and  these  citizens  of  Penn- 
sylvania, not  unmindful  of  the  wounds  he  had  received  on 
her  soil,  resolved  "  that  as  a  testimony  of  respect  for  the 
talents,  virtues,  and  signal  service  of  General  Lafayette  in  the 
great  cause  of  freedom,  the  said  institution  be  named  La- 
fayette College." 


i6 

It  was  further  resolved  "  that  James  M.  Porter,  Joel  Jones, 

and  Jacob  Wagner  be  a  committee  to  draft  a  memorial  to  the 

Legislature  for  a  charter  of  incorporation  and  for  legislative 

aid." 

THE  VIEWS  OF  THE  FOUNDERS, 

These  gentlemen  accordingly  prepared  a  memorial  to  the 
Legislature,  in  which  they  briefly  set  forth  the  history  of  the 
movement  and  stated  their  plans.  It  was  not  their  design 
that  the  technical  parts  of  a  military  education  should  cur- 
tail the  usual  course  of  college  studies,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
by  thus  providing  judicious  and  healthful  modes  of  spend- 
ing leisure  they  hoped  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  liter- 
ary departments.  The  original  scheme  also  contemplated  a 
preparation  for  college,  the  whole  course  to  occupy  seven 
years. 

In  reference  to  the  department  of  language  and  literature, 
their  words  are  so  suggestive,  as  containing  the  prophecy  if 
not  the  germ  of  the  present  course  in  English  studies,  that 
the  following  sentences  possess  a  peculiar  interest : — 

"  An  addition  will  be  made  to  the  language  course  usually 
adopted.  In  this  branch  students  commonly  limit  their  atten- 
tion to  the  dead  languages.  This  is  to  be  regretted.  The 
living  languages  certainly  have  some  claims  to  attention 
which  the  dead  have  not.  Particularly  is  it  to  be  regretted 
that  after  acquiring  the  Latin,  the  Romanic  dialects  of 
modern  Europe  should  not  receive  that  small  portion  of 
time  which  is  necessary  to  acquire  them. 


*7 

"  But  the  language  most  neglected  in  our  seminaries  of 
learning  is  the  English.  It  is,  we  think,  one  of  the  follies  of 
the  learned  to  expend  time  and  toil  and  money  in  the  minute 
investigation  of  the  languages  of  other  times  and  other  people, 
at  the  expense  of  omitting  the  equally  curious  and  more  useful 
investigation  of  their  own.  The  Anglo-Saxon,  the  German, 
the  Danish,  the  Swedish,  &c,  ought  long  since  to  have  been 
made  a  part  of  the  education  of  our  youth." 

Ease  of  access  from  those  parts  of  the  State  which  the  Col- 
lege was  originally  designed  to  benefit,  and  the  abundance 
and  cheapness  of  the  means  of  living,  together  with  the 
healthfulness  of  the  situation  and  its  excellence  as  a  field  for 
botanical  and  mineralogical  research,  were  the  main  points 
favorable  to  the  location  at  Easton.  Seventy  years  of  change 
and  growth  have  abundantly  proved  the  wisdom  of  this 
choice.  Lafayette  now  receives  students  from  all  over  the 
Union,  instead  of  from  a  limited  portion  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
the  location  could  not  be  changed  for  the  better,  even  in  view 
of  this  wider  sphere  of  patronage. 

Easton  is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Delaware  and 
Lehigh  Rivers,  toward  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Cumber- 
land Valley,  in  a  region  so  fertile  and  beautiful,  so  rich  and 
productive  in  varied  resources  that  it  may  well  be  called  the 
garden  of  the  Atlantic  slope.  It  has  become  an  important 
point  on  the  great  highways  of  travel  between  New  York  and 
the  West  and  Northwest.  Instead  of  the  two  days'  journey 
by  stage  to  New  York,  as  when  the  College  was  chartered, 


i8 

the  time  is  now  two  hours,  and  there  are  frequent  trains 
on  three  different  lines  of  railway  between  the  two  cities. 
Communication  with  Philadelphia  is  equally  easy;  so  that 
for  ease  of  access  from  every  part  of  the  country  the  place 
is  all  that  can  be  desired. 

The  Lehigh,  in  its  upper  course,  winds  its  way  along  hills 
stored  full  of  coal,  iron,  and  slate,  and  the  more  recent  devel- 
opment of  these  resources  has  made  the  city  an  industrial 
centre,  presenting  rare  facilities  for  the  pursuit  of  the  techni- 
cal and  practical  branches  which  are  now  embraced  in  the 
course  of  study  at  the  College. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  EARLY  EFFORTS  OF  THE  TRUSTEES, 

The  Legislature  granted  the  charter  March  9th,  1826.  It 
vested  thirty-five  persons,  therein  named,  with  the  usual 
powers  of  a  college,  and  authorized  them  to  fill  vacancies  in 
their  board  by  election.  The  Board  of  Trustees  was  promptly 
organized  with  James  M.  Porter  as  President,  Joel  Jones,  Sec- 
retary, and  Thomas  McKeen,  Treasurer.  A  committee  was 
also  appointed  to  prepare  and  publish  an  exposition  of  the 
plan  and  purposes  of  the  institution,  and  to  take  measures  to 
secure  a  President  and  Faculty  for  the  new  College.  Their 
success,  however,  was  far  from  encouraging.  The  Legisla- 
ture had  not  voted  them  the  desired  aid ;  the  region  was  com- 
paratively new,  and  the  people  upon  whom  they  mainly  de- 
pended for  contributions  were  busy  working  up  its  material 
resources ;   but  the  Trustees  were  hopeful,  even  under  con- 


SOUTH   TERRACE. 


19 

tinued  discouragements,  and  predicted  that  Lafayette  Col- 
lege "should  ultimately  be  inferior  to  none  in  our  country." 
They  dwelt  with  enthusiasm  upon  its  prospects  and  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  situation  ;  "  the  surrounding  country  so  popu- 
lous, picturesque,  fertile,  and  salubrious,  so  rich  in  mineral 
and  botanical  productions,  the  necessaries  of  life  so  abundant 

and  cheap." 

DR,  GEORGE  JUNKIN, 

It  was  not  until  January,  1832,  that  the  name  of  the  Rev. 
George  Junkin,  A.  M.,  came  before  the  committee  "  as  a  gen- 
tleman eminently  qualified  to  take  charge  of  the  institution." 
Mr.  Junkin  was  deeply  interested  in  the  education  of  pious 
young  men  of  slender  means,  and  for  that  purpose  had  estab- 
lished a  manual  labor  school  at  Germantown,  and  gathered 
about  him  a  number  of  pupils.  The  Trustees  invited  him  to 
come  to  Easton  and  examine  the  charter  of  the  College,  its 
location  and  prospects. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1832,  they  appointed  him  Presi- 
dent. The  Trustees  then  leased  for  two  years  a  farm  consist- 
ing of  about  sixty  acres  of  land  and  the  ordinary  farm  build- 
ings, situated  south  of  the  Lehigh  River,  directly  opposite  the 
borough.  In  March  President  Junkin  came  to  Easton  and 
began  the  work  of  fitting  up  the  premises,  and  the  regular 
exercises  of  the  College  began  May  9th,  1832. 

The  session  opened  with  forty-three  students,  but  the  num- 
ber soon  increased,  and  there  were  in  all  sixty-seven  in  at- 
tendance during  the  first  college  year  at  Lafayette. 


20 

The  efforts  of  the  Trustees  were  next  directed  towards 
securing  a  permanent  site. 

After  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  locations  suggested, 
they  made  a  purchase  of  nine  acres  of  land  on  the  brow  of  the 
hill  north  of  the  borough  (a  part  of  the  present  site)  for  $1400. 

A  better  selection  certainly  could  not  have  been  made.  In 
a  region  abounding  in  charming  views — "  the  Switzerland  of 
America/'  as  it  is  called — that  one  point  which,  if  possible, 
surpasses  all  the  rest  in  the  loveliness  of  its  outlook,  was 
chosen  for  the  infant  college.  All  the  varied  and  picturesque 
scenery  which  has  made  the  "  Forks  of  the  Delaware  "  cele- 
brated far  and  wide  lies  before  this  little  mount,  and  can  be 
taken  in  with  a  single  sweep  of  the  eye. 

At  its  foot  the  Bushkill  winds  ;  on  the  south  and  west  the 
Lehigh,  whose  course  may  be  traced  by  the  steam  of  loco- 
motives and  the  smoke  of  the  furnaces  that  line  its  banks  ; 
on  the  east,  the  Delaware,  sweeping  its  broader  current  south- 
ward ;  across  the  city,  seven  miles  away,  are  the  Musconet- 
cong  Hills,  stretching  off  eastward  into  New  Jersey  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  see ;  on  the  north,  a  mile  away,  Chestnut  Hill  and 
Paxinosa,  from  whose  top,  one  facing  northward  may  over- 
look a  broad  and  beautiful  valley,  bounded  by  the  Blue 
Mountains,  the  even  line  of  whose  summit  is  broken  in  three 
places— just  in  front  of  the  beholder  the  u  Wind  Gap,"  twelve 
miles  away  in  a  direct  line ;  on  the  right  hand  the  "  Delaware 
Water  Gap/'  twenty  miles  away ;  on  the  left  hand,  the  "  Le- 
high Gap,"  twenty-five  miles  away. 


w 


JENKS   BIOLOGICAL    LABORATORY. 


21 

On  every  side  Nature  has  spread  her  charms  with  a  lavish 
hand,  and  art  vies  with  Nature  to  heighten  the  impressive 
beauty  of  the  scene. 

Preparations  were  at  once  made  for  the  erection  of  a  suit- 
able building  on  the  new  site.  It  was  urged  on  as  rapidly  as 
possible  during  the  Summer  of  1833,  and  was  so  far  com- 
pleted as  to  be  ready  for  occupancy  in  May  of  the  following 
year.  The  structure  (now  the  central  part  of  South  College, 
and  one  of  the  most  substantial  edifices  on  the  hill)  was  1 1 2 
feet  by  44,  with  a  recess  of  17  by  49  feet.  There  were  six 
recitation  rooms,  a  chapel,  refectory  hall,  steward's  rooms, 
apartments  for  the  President  and  other  officers  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  about  forty  rooms  for  the  students.  The  building 
had  an  old-fashioned  "  hip  roof,"  covered  with  slate  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  simple  open  dome,  fourteen  feet  in  diameter. 
Although  finished  in  a  style  of  severe  plainness,  the  build- 
ing was  the  pride  of  the  town.  At  its  completion  it  was 
brilliantly  illuminated  by  the  students,  who  made  the  day 
one  of  great  festivity  and  rejoicing. 

And  now,  May  1st,  1834,  the  President  and  Faculty  were 
formally  inaugurated.  The  following  composed  the  Faculty  : 
The  Rev.  George  Junkin,  A.  M.,  President  and  Professor  of 
Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy,  Logic,  Rhetoric,  and  Evidences 
of  Christianity;  Charles  F.  McCay,  A.  B.;  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics and  Natural  Philosophy;  James  I.  Kuhn,  A.  R,  Pro- 
fessor of  the  Latin  and  Greek  Languages ;  Samuel  D.  Gross, 
M.  D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  and  Botany.     Dr. 


22 

Junkin's  associates  were  men  of  more  than  usual  ability,  and 
the  work  they  did  helped  to  draw  together  a  good  class  of 
students.  The  Hon.  N.  B.  Smithers,  of  Delaware,  was  among 
the  first  graduates,  and  of  his  fellow-students  there  were 
Governor  Ramsey,  of  Minnesota;  Dr.  Grier,  editor  of  The 
Presbyterian ;  the  Hon.  James  Morrison  Harris,  of  Baltimore, 
and  his  distinguished  townsman,  John  W.  Garrett,  President 
of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  besides  a  goodly  number 
who  became  eminent  in  the  ministry. 

The  Trustees  entered  heartily  into  President  Junkin's  views 
with  reference  to  the  manual  labor  system,  and  spoke  in  the 
warmest  terms  of  a  scheme  which  promised  such  large  re- 
sults, not  only  in  bodily  health  and  the  saving  of  money,  but 
in  promoting  mental  activity  and  the  development  of  manly 
independence  of  character.  A  thorough  trial  was  made  of  it, 
and  work,  both  agricultural  and  mechanical,  was  carried  on 
for  several  years,  but  the  authorities  were  obliged  at  last  to 
admit  its  failure  as  a  part  of  the  College  scheme,  and  it  was 
abandoned  in  1839. 

Another  feature  of  the  original  plan,  containing  the  germ 
of  our  present  system  of  State  Normal  Schools,  was  the  prep- 
aration of  teachers.  The  Trustees  established  as  a  part  of  the 
curriculum  of  the  College  a  "  teachers'  course,"  designing  to 
issue  special  diplomas  to  such  students  as  might  graduate  in 
it,  and  they  further  erected  a  building  (now  West  College)  to 
serve  as  a  u  model  school,"  in  which  the  art  of  governing  and 
of  communicating  knowledge  might  be  taught.     It  was  found 


PROF.   TRAILL   GREEN,    M.  D.,    LL   D. 


23 

upon  trial  that  the  number  of  young  men  who  looked  for- 
ward to  teaching  as  a  profession  and  could  devote  themselves 
uninterruptedly  to  the  necessary  training  was  not  large 
enough  to  warrant  the  continuance  of  this  department.  In 
addition  to  the  usual  college  curriculum,  liberal  attention 
was  given  to  the  modern  languages.  Prof.  F.  A.  Rauch, 
Ph.  D.,  afterwards  President  of  Marshall  College,  worked  in 
this  department,  and  the  students  read  a  good  deal  of  French, 
Italian,  Spanish,  and  German. 

A  law  school  was  also  contemplated,  and  as  early  as  1841 
and  for  several  years  thereafter,  the  name  of  the  Hon.  James 
M.  Porter  appears  in  the  catalogues  as  "  Professor  of  Juris- 
prudence." In  the  enumeration  of  students  also,  several  are 
set  down  from  year  to  year  as  "  law  students." 

The  moral  and  religious  training  of  the  students  was  a  sub- 
ject upon  which  the  Founders  of  the  College  felt  deeply,  and 
to  which  they  made  frequent  reference  in  their  published 
reports.  The  Bible  was  carefully  studied,  and  punctual  at- 
tendance at  morning  and  evening  prayers  and  at  divine  serv- 
ice upon  the  Lord's  Day  was  required  of  all  the  students. 
Morning  prayers  were  at  five  o'clock,  Winter  and  Summer ; 
and  upon  the  Sabbath  these  early  devotions  were  immediately 
followed  by  a  Bible  class.  "  This  exercise,"  says  the  fifth 
annual  report,  "  generally  occupies  an  hour.  It  is  exegetical, 
didactic,  polemic,  and  practical." 

The  government  of  the  College  was  administered  on 
the  principle  of  strict  and  systematic  vigilance.     Dr.  Junkin 


H 

encouraged  the  formation  of  students'  courts  for  the  trial  of 
misdemeanors,  but  there  was  keen  oversight,  and  the  strong 
arm  of  government.  He  was  a  man  kindly  but  severe, 
authoritative,  and  with  a  wonderful  force  of  personal  presence. 
From  his  private  apartments  one  door  opened  into  the  re- 
fectory, where  all  the  students  ate  "  under  the  eye  of  one 
or  two  professors,"  and  which  was  rightly  considered  one  of 
the  most  difficult  departments  to  govern  ;  another  door  led 
into  the  prayer  hall.  The  residence  of  the  other  members  of 
the  Faculty  was  also  managed  with  a  view  to  "  facility  of 
access,"  and  the  arrangements  were  made  for  frequent  visits 
to  the  rooms  of  students,  in  order,  as  the  early  catalogues 
say,  "  to  keep  up  a  personal  vigilance  over  the  whole." 

Under  this  system  of  strict  supervision,  and  perhaps  by 
reason  of  it,  there  grew  up  some  peculiar  shades  of  student 
life  unknown  to  us  nowadays  except  through  vague  tradi- 
tion. 

But  withal,  this  severe  surveillance  had  a  tender  side.  It 
assumed  a  certain  waywardness  of  the  young  man,  but  its 
aim  was  to  provide  healthful  moral  restraints ;  and  it  was 
true  then  of  the  College,  as  it  has  been  for  the  most  part 
throughout  its  history,  that  the  high  moral  and  religious 
tone  was  such  as  to  commend  it  warmly  to  public  confi- 
dence as  a  place  where  young  men  might  safely  spend  the 
most  decisive  period  of  life.  One  of  the  early  catalogues, 
referring  to  the  "  evidence  of  a  good  moral  atmosphere  in 
the  fact  that  no  case  of  discipline  had  occurred  at  Lafayette 


25 

during  the  year,"  adds,  with  pardonable  enthusiasm,  "  Blessed 
is  that  college  whose  laws  are  lost  sight  of  by  becoming  in- 
carnate in  the  hearts  of  all  its  members." 

PRESIDENT  JUNKIN'S  ADMINISTRATION. 

Dr.  Junkin  resigned  the  presidency  in  1841  to  accept  the 
presidency  of  Miami  University,  Ohio.  He  was,  however,  re- 
called in  1844,  and  remained  at  the  head  of  the  College 
until  1848,  when  he  again  resigned  and  assumed  the  presi- 
dency of  Washington  College,  Virginia. 

Even  this  brief  sketch  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
grateful  mention  of  his  laborious  and  self-denying  efforts 
for  the  College  during  the  thirteen  years  he  was  President. 
Few  ever  toiled  with  more  enthusiasm,  and  at  times  with 
greater   discouragements,  to  accomplish  a   cherished    object. 

There  was  no  endowment;  the  State  could  not  be  induced 
to  help  the  College  on  general  grounds,  and  the  help  that 
came  from  other  sources  was  very  inadequate.  The  first 
published  list  of  contributions  to  the  fund  foots  up  $5103. 
The  largest  contribution  is  $500.  There  are  several  of  fifty 
cents,  and  seventy  are  below  five  dollars.  Dr.  Junkin  spent 
all  the  money  he  had  or  could  raise  on  the  College.  Fortu- 
nately, several  men  prominent  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  ap- 
preciated the  importance  of  Lafayette  as  a  training  school  for 
the  ministry,  and  gave  Dr.  Junkin  substantial  encouragement. 

Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  and  Dr.  John  Breckinridge  were 
especially   interested    in    the    matter,       Dr.    Alexander,  at    a 


26 

desperate  juncture,  when  the  friends  of  the  College  were 
actually  discussing  the  abandonment  of  the  work,  referring 
to  the  college  at  Princeton,  of  which  he  was  trustee,  said : 
"  There  is  no  danger  of  injurious  competition,  but  probably 
benefit,  from  the  kind  of  rivalry  which  may  spring  up.  I 
should  be  very  sorry  to  see  the  ground  at  Easton  aban- 
doned and  the  labor  lost     It  must  not  bey 

Aid  for  that  particular  emergency  was  obtained  from  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  Mr.  James  Lenox,  of  New  York,  be- 
ing one  of  the  largest  givers. 

Among  the  eminent  scholars  associated  with  Dr.  Junkin 
in  the  Faculty  at  Lafayette,  besides  those  already  men- 
tioned, were  Dr.  Traill  Green,  elected  Professor  of  Chemistry 
in  1837  ;  the  Rev.  James  C.  Moffat,  D.  D.,  afterwards  profes- 
sor at  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  then  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Princeton ;  the  Rev.  William  Henry 
Green,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  a  graduate  of  Lafayette  (Class  of  1840), 
for  fifty  years  professor  of  Hebrew  and  Oriental  Literature 
in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton  ;  the  Rev.  Rob- 
ert Cunningham,  of  Scotland;  the  Rev.  David  X.  Junkin, 
D.  D. ;  Washington  McCartney,  LL.  D.,  "  mathematician, 
metaphysician,  and  jurist  unsurpassed. " 

STRUGGLES   OF  THE   MIDDLE    PERIOD. 

Dr.  John  W.  Yeomans  was  President  while  Dr.  Junkin 
was  at  Miami  University  (1841-44),  and  after  Dr.  Junkin's 
final  resignation,  three  short  administrations  bring  us  down  to 


27 

the  year  1863:  Dr.  C.  W.  Nassau  (1848-49),  Dr.  Daniel  V. 
McLean  (1851-57),  and  Dr.  George  Wilson  McPhail  (1857- 
63).  The  early  part  of  this  period  was  a  time  of  transition, 
and,  therefore,  of  more  importance  than  would  appear  in  the 
mere  outward  history.  The  College  was  freeing  itself  one 
by  one  from  the  experiments  of  its  origin,  and  settling  more 
and  more  into  tried  collegiate  ways,  giving  the  usual  cur- 
riculum of  Latin,  Greek,  Mathematics,  and  Philosophy.  It 
was  conspicuous  mainly  for  plain  living  and  thorough  work, 
sending  out  its  little  quota  each  year  to  the  learned  profes- 
sions, about  half  of  its  graduates  entering  the  ministry. 

The  year  1849  was  one  of  special  depression,  and  the  num- 
ber in  attendance  in  the  four  College  classes  fell  from  eighty- 
two  in  1848  to  twenty-five  in  1850.  In  the  latter  year  it  was 
received  under  the  patronage  of  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  charter  was  amended  accordingly.  Dr. 
McLean,  in  185 1,  undertook  to  raise  a  permanent  endowment, 
$100,000,  by  the  sale  of  scholarships,  and  the  result  brought 
about  a  new  upward  movement.  In  1856  the  number  of  stu- 
dents enrolled  reached  one  hundred  and  six. 

About  this  time  two  men  became  connected  with  the  Fac- 
ulty, who  by  their  labors  have  brought  world-wide  renown 
to  the  institution,  Prof.  James  H.  Coffin,  LL.  D.,  in  1846, 
and  Prof.  Francis  A.  March,  LL.  D.,  in  1855.  With  the 
coming  of  the  former  Lafayette  became  in  some  sense  the 
headquarters  of  meteorology  in  America,  since  there  the 
observations  of  the  Government  offices   and  the    collections 


28 

of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  supplemented  by  the  extensive 
correspondence  of  Professor  Coffin,  have  been  reduced  and 
prepared  for  publication  under  the  direction  of  this  eminent 
meteorologist. 

With  Dr.  March's  coming  began  the  famous  course  of 
study  in  Anglo-Saxon  and  English  in  connection  with  Com- 
parative Philology. 

The  financial  embarrassment,  however,  was  only  tempora- 
rily relieved  by  the  new  "  endowment,"  and  in  1861  came  the 
civil  war  with  its  added  difficulties.  In  1862,  after  the  battle 
of  Antietam,  the  students  enlisted  in  considerable  numbers. 
In  1863,  when  Lee  invaded  Pennsylvania,  the  rush  to  arms 
was  so  general  that  the  College  was  almost  without  students ; 
there  were  not  seniors  enough  left  for  a  commencement. 

In  August  of  the  same  year  President  McPhail  resigned, 
and  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  called  in 
Philadelphia,  to  "  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  sus- 
pending operations  under  increasing  embarrassments." 

An  arrangement  was  made,  however,  with  Professors  Coffin, 
March,  Coleman,  Eckard,  and  Green  by  which  they  under- 
took to  keep  the  College  in  operation  for  another  year  for 
such  compensation  as  the  Board  might  be  able  to  provide. 

PRESIDENT  CATTELL, 

It  was  at  this  critical  point  that  we  find  the  Board  turning 
to  one  who  had  been  a  professor  in  the  institution,  Rev.  Will- 
iam C.  Cattell,  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 


REV.    WM.    C.    CATTELL,    D.  D. 


29 

Church  at  Harrisburg,  to  whom  they  gave  a  hearty  call  to  re- 
turn to  Lafayette  and  fill  the  vacant  presidency.  Happily,  he 
recognized  his  call. 

Dr.  Cattell  was  eminently  fitted  for  his  new  work  at  La- 
fayette, and  his  efforts  at  the  very  outset  were  characterized 
by  that  energy,  prudence,  and  tact  which  always  master  diffi- 
culties, and  which  for  him  secured  at  once  the  hearty  co-op- 
eration and  confidence  of  the  friends  of  the  College. 

At  Dr.  Cattell's  inauguration,  July  26th,  1864,  Lafayette 
felt  a  thrill  of  returning  hope.  "The  hour  of  darkness  and 
gloom  had  passed,"  said  Governor  Pollock,  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  in  his  address,  and  so  it  had.  A  new  vi- 
tality was  at  once  infused,  and  new  vigor  characterized  the 
work  of  the  College,  both  in  its  inner  life  and  in  the  more  re- 
mote points  of  contact  with  its  patrons  and  the  public. 
President  Cattell  devoted  himself  for  twenty  years  to  the  task 
of  building  up  the  College,  and  with  full  heart  and  strong 
arm,  with  a  strength  that  grew  with  growing  opportunities, 
pushed  on  the  important  work  that  lay  before  him.  Under 
his  administration  Lafayette  rose  to  commanding  eminence 
among  the  colleges  of  the  land,  enlarging  her  work  in  every 
direction.  This  long  and  continued  service  left  him,  in  1883, 
in  broken  health,  and  he  was  obliged  to  seek  needed  rest  un- 
der circumstances  as  free  as  possible  from  the  anxieties  of  his 
great  labor.  The  Trustees,  therefore,  accepted  his  resigna- 
tion, though  with  great  reluctance,  and  turned  to  the  difficult 
task  of  choosing  his  successor. 


3° 


PRESIDENT   KNOX. 

James  H.  Mason  Knox,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  had  been  for  nearly 
twenty  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  as  one 
of  Dr.  CattelPs  most  efficient  helpers  had  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  recent  striking  growth  of  the  College.  To  him 
the  Trustees  turned  with  the  offer  of  the  presidency. 

Dr.  Knox  accepted  it,  but  not  without  misgivings,  for  no 
one  was  more  familiar  than  he  with  the  great  work  of  his 
predecessor,  and  no  one  knew  better  than  he  what  gifts  of 
experience,  tact,  and  geniality  of  temperament  Dr.  Cattell  had 
brought  to  its  performance ;  but  the  cordial  unanimity  of  the 
Board  overcame  his  reluctance,  and  brought  the  work  before 
him  as  one  to  which  he  was  amply  called.  President  Knox 
took  his  place  and  did  his  work  with  quiet  dignity  and  pru- 
dence, and  in  a  manner  to  commend  him  to  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  colleagues  of  the  Faculty,  of  the  students,  and  of 
all  the  friends  of  the  institution.  The  noble  task  so  well  begun 
and  so  energetically  pursued  by  Dr.  Cattell  was  continued  by 
Dr.  Knox,  and  with  the  same  earnest  efforts  to  enlarge  the 
endowment  and  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  institution. 

He  resigned  the  presidency  in  June,  1890.  At  the  com- 
mencement, when  Dr.  Knox's  resignation  was  received,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  the  alumini  united  in  a  movement  to 
raise  among  themselves  an  endowment  fund  of  $150,000. 
The  end  of  Dr.  Knox's  administration  was  further  marked 
by  a  bequest  of  $100,000  from  the  Fayerweather  estate. 


PRESIDENT    ETHELBERT    D.    WARFIELD,    LL.  D. 


3i 


PRESIDENT  WARFIELD. 

After  an  interval  of  one  year,  during  which  Dr.  Traill 
Green  was  acting  President,  the  Board  chose  as  the  successor 
of  Dr.  Knox,  Ethelbert  D.  Warfield,  a  young  man,  at  that 
time  President  of  the  Miami  University  in  Ohio.  Dr.  War- 
field  accepted  the  call,  and  was  received  at  Lafayette  with  the 
utmost  enthusiasm,  not  only  by  the  Faculty,  the  students, 
and  other  members  of  the  College  community,  but  by  the 
citizens  of  Easton,  and  in  fact  by  all  classes  to  whom  the 
interests  of  the  College  are  dear.  He  was  inaugurated  in 
October,  1891,  since  which  time  there  has  been  a  steady  ad- 
vance in  most  matters  relating  to  the  prosperity  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  number  of  students  is  now  rapidly  increasing; 
the  alumni  and  friends  are  rallying;  and  there  are  signs  of 
prosperity  on  every  side.  Dr.  Warfield  is  a  young  man  of 
fine  attainments,  especially  in  history  and  political  science, 
is  a  gifted  lecturer,  and  is  making  new  friends  for  the  Col- 
lege wherever  he  appears. 

We  may  now  turn  to  note  briefly  a  few  particulars  in 
Lafayette's  growth  during  the  last  thirty  years. 

STUDENTS. 

The  number  of  students  in  attendance  in  1863  was  39. 
For  a  number  of  years  after  the  war  the  increase  was 
rapid,  until  the  highest  point,  335,  was  reached  in  1876; 
then  with  some  fluctuation  the  number  fell  to  247  in  1887, 


3* 

since  which  time  it  has  again  risen,  standing  in  the  catalogue 
of  1895  at  306,  and  in  that  of  1900  at  336,  and  in  that  of 
1901  at  372. 

THE   FACULTY. 

In  1863-64  the  Faculty  consisted  of  nine  members.  The 
addition  of  new  departments  of  study  and  the  large  increase 
of  students  soon  made  it  necessary  to  secure  a  larger  corps 
of  instructors.  In  1865-66  the  number  was  sixteen;  at  the 
present  time  it  is  thirty. 

RECITATIONS  AND  LECTURES. 

There  has  been  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  amount 
of  actual  class-room  work.  From  1859  to  1865  there  were 
given  annually  in  the  four  classes  2070  recitations  and  lec- 
tures. In  1865-66,  when  the  scientific  department  was  added, 
more  than  half  the  exercises  of  the  new  course  were  coinci- 
dent with  those  of  the  old;  913  were  different,  making  the 
total  for  that  year  2893.  The  annual  number  of  recita- 
tions and  lectures  at  the  present  time,  not  including  the 
working  sections  or  the  graduate  courses,  is  9263.  This 
large  increase  has  been  caused  mainly  by  the  addition  of  new 
courses  of  instruction,  but  partly  also  by  the  division  and 
subdivision  of  large  classes.  The  policy  of  hearing  classes 
in  sections  so  small  that  each  student  shall  be  sure  of  daily 
drill  is  strictly  adhered  to,  and  will  account  in  some  meas- 
ure for  the  exact  and  thorough  character  of  the  work  done 
at  the  College. 


JOHN   WELLES^  HOLLENBACK,    ESQ., 
President  Board  of  Trustees. 


33 


THE   CURRICULUM. 

The  curriculum  has  come  to  its  present  form  under  the 
hands  of  many  eminent  and  gifted  educators.  The  early 
records  do  not  furnish  the  material  for  as  complete  an  analy- 
sis with  respect  to  the  proportional  distribution  of  studies 
as  might  be  desired.  The  following  summaries,  however, 
will  show  the  number  of  recitations  allotted  to  each  of  the 
main  departments  of  study  in  the  classical  course  at  different 
periods : — 

From  1842  to  1844:  Mathematics,  including  Astronomy 
and  Physics,  recitations,  705  ;  per  cent.,  .35. 

Ancient  Languages,  recitations,   1008;  per  cent,  .50. 

Mental  and  Moral  Science,  Political  Economy,  Rhetoric, 
Evidences  of  Christianity,  Belles  Lettres,  &c,  recitations, 
309;  per  cent,  .15. 

The  addition  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  Plistory  in  1845, 
and  of  Biblical  studies  in  1852  (previously  carried  on  by 
means  of  Sabbath  Bible  classes  and  lectures),  made  corre- 
sponding changes,  the  hours  being  taken  mainly  from  the 
Ancient  Languages.  In  1857  there  was  a  notable  enlarge- 
ment of  the  English  studies.  In  fact,  it  is  here  that  the 
philological  study  of  English  begins.  Trench  on  the  Study 
of  Words,  Fowler's  English  Grammar,  Anglo-Saxon,  Milton's 
Paradise  Lost,  and  Shakespeare  were  introduced,  the  time 
being  taken  from  Mathematics  and  the  Ancient  Languages. 
French  and  German  were  also  introduced  at  this  time. 


34 
In   1876  the  distribution  was  as  follows: — 

Recita-        Per 

tions.         cent. 

Mathematics,  including  Astronomy  and  Physics 588        .235 

Ancient  Languages 857  .342 

Biblical 156  .062 

Modern  Languages,  English  and  Anglo-Saxon 180  .073 

Modern  Languages,  French  and  German 158  .063 

Mental  and  Moral  Science 108  .043 

Political  Economy  and  Constitution 66  .027 

Outlines  of  History 16  .008 

Rhetoric  and  Logic 29  .010 

Elocution      154  .062 

Chemistry 36  .014 

Geology 70  .028 

Botany  and  Zoology 32  .012 

Natural  Philosophy 32  .012 

Mineralogy 22  .009 

2,504      1. 000 

Hebrew,  Blackstone,  Archaeology  of  Literature,  and  Chem- 
istry were  elective  in  the  senior  year  with  other  studies,  and 
in  the  case  of  students  who  elected  them,  modified  the  above 
results  in  Mathematics,  Greek,  and  Modern  Languages. 

In  addition  to  the  outlines  of  history,  particular  periods 
in  Grecian,  Roman,  English,  and  American  history  are 
worked  up,  along  with  the  reading  of  representative  authors, 
as  Tacitus,  Cicero,  Livy,  Demosthenes,  and  Shakespeare. 
More  than  three  hundred  recitations  of  the  course  are  thus 
available  as  a  special  instruction  in  history. 


35 

Classical  Geography,  Greek  and  Latin  composition,  and 
antiquities  come  in  as  side  studies,  and  are  referred,  in  the 
above  analysis,  to  those  branches  to  which  they  are  most 
akin. 

The  present  schedule  differs  from  the  foregoing  mainly 
in  the  larger  number  of  elective  studies. 

THE   NEW   COURSES   OF   INSTRUCTION, 

The  General  Scientific  Course  had  its  origin  in  1865,  and 
the  Technical  Courses  a  little  later.  A  number  of  students 
who  had  completed  the  high  school  studies  applied  to  the 
Faculty  for  permission  to  spend  a  year  in  the  College  in 
advanced  liberal  studies,  without,  however,  taking  Latin 
and  Greek.  The  permission  was  given,  and  the  hours 
usually  devoted  to  the  Ancient  Languages  were  filled  with 
Modern  Languages  and  the  Natural  Sciences.  The  ex- 
periment was  a  success.  The  new  students  proved  a  wel- 
come addition  to  the  College  community,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  year  they  concluded  to  prolong  their  stay.  Many 
others  asked  for  similar  privileges,  so  that  the  Faculty 
urged  the  establishment  of  a  new  course  of  study. 

In  response,  Mr.  Pardee  promptly  gave  $80,000  additional 
to  his  first  gift  of  $20,000  in  1864,  and  new  teachers  of 
modern  languages  and  natural  science  were  secured.  The 
prevailing  purpose  in  the  new  course,  as  in  the  old,  was 
culture.  It  was  carefully  arranged  that  the  students  in  both 
should   make    one   family  of   Christian    scholars,  attend  the 


36 

same  recitations  and  lectures  as  far  as  possible,  and  belong 
to  the  same  literary  and  religious  associations. 

As  these  classes  filled  up,  the  natural  advantages  of  the 
region  and  the  impatient  spirit  of  the  times  soon  asserted 
themselves.  The  young  men  who  took  the  scientific  course, 
or  most  of  them,  expected  to  become  engineers  or  miners 
or  chemists,  and  they  naturally  wished  to  finish  their  prepara- 
tory studies  at  Easton.  In  answer  to  such  wishes  special 
technical  studies  were  introduced,  at  first  elective  in  the 
senior  year,  then  in  the  senior  and  junior  years.  The  friends 
of  technical  education  in  the  region  became  warmly  inter- 
ested in  the  movement.  Mr.  Pardee  gave  another  $100,000; 
others  made  equally  liberal  contributions,  and  a  Polytechnic 
School  was  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Pardee  Scien- 
tific Department  of  Lafayette  College.  The  courses  were, 
(I.),  Engineering:  Civil,  Topographical,  and  Mechanical;  (II.), 
Mining  Engineering  and  Metallurgy;  (III.),  Chemistry. 

These  courses  have  been  continued  with  success  to  the 
present  time.  More  recently,  in  1889,  there  was  added  a 
course  in  Electrical  Engineering  for  those  who  wished  to 
pursue  advanced  physics  and  the  technical  application  of 
electricity. 

A  Latin  Scientific  Course  has  also  been  recently  added,  de- 
signed for  those  who  wished  to  study  Latin  in  connection 
with  the  studies  of  the  General  Scientific  Course. 

Post-graduate  courses  have  been  maintained  for  several 
years,   in  which  graduates    of   colleges  or  scientific  schools, 


PROF.   THOMAS    C.    PORTER,    D.  D.,    LL.  D. 


PROF.    FRANCIS   A.    MARCH,    LL.  D.  PKOF.  FRANCIS    A.  MARCH,  JR.,  A.  M.,    PH.D. 


37 

and  others  having  suitable  preparation,  may  pursue  advanced 
studies  in  any  department  under  the  direction  and  instruc- 
tion of  the  professor  in  that  department,  using  the  apparatus 
of  the  College  while  prosecuting  their  researches. 

THE   COLLEGE   GROUNDS. 

The  College  grounds  have  been  enlarged  by  successive 
purchases  to  include  about  forty  acres.  The  campus  has 
been  greatly  improved  within  the  last  few  years,  and  pre- 
sents a  picture  of  rare  beauty.  The  grading,  terracing, 
ornamental  planting,  and  the  laying  out  and  construction  of 
walks  and  drives,  is  not,  of  course,  a  work  of  mere  aimless 
adornment,  but  is  carried  on  under  the  deliberate  recogni- 
tion of  the  educational  influence  of  art.  The  authorities  re- 
gard it  as  a  matter  of  importance  that  the  surroundings  of 
young  men,  while  in  the  process  of  education,  should  be 
such  as  to  engage  the  mind  not  only  with  the  most  pleas- 
ing aspects  of  nature,  but  also  with  the  finer  forms  of 
beauty  into   which   nature   may  be  wrought   by  the   skillful 

touch  of  man. 

BUILDINGS. 

The  most  noticeable  feature  of  the  growth  of  the  College, 
however,  is  seen  in  the  buildings.  The  original  structure 
(now  South  College)  has  been  so  completely  transformed  as 
to  appear  scarcely  the  same  building.  The  old  hip  roof  has 
been  replaced  by  a  neat  Mansard,  and  the  east  and  west  wings 
have  been  added,  the  former  used  until  lately  as  a  library  and 


38 

reading  room,  with  Greek  room  and  offices  above ;  the  latter 
as  the  chapel,  with  lecture  rooms  above  it  for  the  Departments 
of  Latin  and  English  Literature.  The  chapel  has  lately  been 
thoroughly  renovated,  its  walls  freshly  tinted,  an  electric 
chandelier  put  in  by  the  Class  of  1900,  and  a  handsome  pipe 
organ,  a  quarter-century  gift  of  the  class  of  1874,  a  most 
important  aid  in  College  worship. 

The  model  school  building  has  also  been  refitted,  the  first 
floor  as  the  offices  of  the  Treasurer  and  Registrar,  and  the 
second  floor  as  a  lecture  room  for  Professor  March. 

Southeast  of  South  College  stands  the  Jenks  Hall,  a 
T-shaped  structure  of  blue  limestone,  three  stories,  with 
Mansard  roof.  It  was  built  in  1865  and  is  fitted  up  with 
laboratories  and  lecture  rooms. 

In  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Chemical  Department  Profes- 
sor Hart  has  for  a  number  of  years  felt  the  want  of  more 
ample  equipment,  especially  in  laboratory  space.  This  want 
will  now  be  definitely  met  by  the  gift  of  a  new  chemical 
building  by  Mr.  James  Gay  ley,  of  the  Class  of  1876.  The 
building,  now  in  process  of  erection,  stands  north  of  the 
Van  Wickle  Library,  and  when  it  is  completed  the  Jenks 
Hall  will  be  refitted  for  the  Department  of  Biology. 

The  astronomical  observatory,  north  of  Jenks  Hall,  built 
of  the  same  material,  was  the  gift  of  Dr.  Traill  Green. 

By  far  the  finest  structure  on  the  grounds  is  Pardee 
Hall.  This  magnificent  building  stands  on  the  central  pla- 
teau of  the  campus,  and  is  a  familiar  sight  to  the  thousands 


PROF.    A.    A.    BLOOMBERGH,    PH.  D. 


PROF.   J.   W.   MOORE,    M.  D. 


PROF.    EDWARD   HART,    PH.  D. 


39 

of  passengers  who  cross  the  Delaware  at  Easton.  It  was 
erected  and  equipped  for  the  uses  of  the  Scientific  Depart- 
ment by  its  munificent  founder,  Mr.  Pardee.  The  building, 
of  Trenton  brownstone,  was  begun  in  1871  and  completed 
in   1873. 

On  the  evening  of  June  4th,  1879,  it  took  fire  from  the 
chemical  laboratory,  and  at  midnight  was  a  heap  of  smoking 
ruins.  It  had  been  well  insured,  and  from  the  fund  so  pro- 
vided Pardee  Hall  was  soon  replaced,  the  exact  counterpart 
of  the  former  building  externally,  but  with  many  changes 
and  improvements  in  the  arrangements  within,  suggested  by 
eight  years  of  use.  Again  in  the  early  morning  of  Decem- 
ber 17th,  1897,  fire  did  its  dreadful  work  with  this  noble 
building,  destroying  with  most  of  its  contents  all  except  the 
east  wing.  The  work  of  rebuilding  was  again  very  promptly 
undertaken,  this  time  with  still  more  marked  improvements 
within,  especially  in  the  arrangement  of  and  approaches  to 
the  central  auditorium,  and  in  the  provisions  made  for  the 
Departments  of  Civil  and  Mechanical  Engineering. 

On  Wednesday,  May  31st,  1899,  the  completed  structure 
was  again  dedicated  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assemblage, 
including  many  distinguished  guests.  On  this  occasion  the 
beautiful  memorial  window  to  Mr.  Pardee  and  Dr.  Cattell 
was  unveiled,  representing  Charlemagne  in  conference  with 
Alcuin,  his  Minister  of  Education.  The  building  has  a  total 
length  of  256  feet  and  a  depth  of  84  feet,  with  lateral  and 
cross  wings  four  stories   in  height,  the  central  part  being  five 


40 

stories.  It  contains  the  great  auditorium,  spacious  halls  for 
the  Washington  and  Franklin  Literary  Societies,  with  rooms 
for  their  libraries,  the  Ward  Library,  a  geological  museum, 
collections  in  mineralogy  and  natural  history,  besides  labora- 
tories and  class  rooms. 

Provision  has  been  made  in  part  for  the  accommodation  of 
students  by  the  erection  of  "students'  homes."  Six  of  these 
occupy  the  north  campus,  five  of  them  bearing  the  names  of 
those  by  whose  liberality  the  College  was  enabled  to  provide 
them.  They  are  Blair  Hall,  Newkirk  Hall,  McKeen  Hall, 
Martien  Hall,  Powell  Hall,  and  East  Hall.  Extensive  addi- 
tions and  improvements  have  been  made  within  the  past 
year,  bringing  these  dormitories  up  to  a  high  standard  of 
beauty  not  only,  but  of  comfort  and  convenience.  The 
five  first  named  above  have  been  faced  with  iron-mottled 
Pompeian  brick  and  trimmed  with  dark-brown  terra-cotta. 
Two  new  halls  have  been  added,  one  connecting  Blair  and 
Newkirk  (Knox  Hall),  the  other  Martien  and  Powell  (Fayer- 
weather  Hall),  giving  this  row,  including  McKeen  Hall,  the 
outward  effect  of  three  instead  of  seven  buildings.  The  in- 
teriors have  also  been  thoroughly  remodeled  and  papered, 
and  are  now  heated  with  steam  and  lighted  with  electricity. 
They  are  also  well  supplied  with  toilet  and  bath  rooms  fur- 
nished with  hot  and  cold  water. 

There  have  also  been  erected  on  the  College  grounds  four- 
teen houses  designed  for  the  residence  of  professors,  three 
of  them  within  the  last  two  years. 


PROF.    W.    B.    OWEN,    PH.D. 


PROF.   J.   J.    HARDY,    PH.D. 


PROF.    S.    J.    COFFIN,    PH.  D. 


4i 


PHYSICAL  CULTURE, 

The  subject  of  physical  culture,  challenging  attention 
through  the  medium  of  athletic  sports,  has  won  for  itself  an 
abiding  place  in  the  life,  and  has  secured  recognition  in  the 
curriculum,  of  most  colleges  of  higher  grade. 

The  evils  incident  to  a  voluntary,  undirected  system  of 
exercise  forced  themselves  upon  the  attention  of  the  College 
authorities  until  they  saw  the  necessity  of  properly  regulating 
it  in  the  interest  of  the  great  and  desirable  end  which  it  is 
intended  to  conserve. 

In  1884,  through  the  liberality  of  a  few  friends,  a  gym- 
nasium was  built  adequate  to  every  need.  Within  the  last 
few  years  an  ample  athletic  field  of  seven  acres,  just  west  of 
the  gymnasium,  has  been  secured,  graded,  fenced,  and  fur- 
nished with  stands.  In  1900  it  was  transferred  free  of  debt  to 
the  Trustees  of  the  College. 

This  acquisition  has  already  resulted  in  a  notable  advance 
in  the  athletic  interests  of  the  College,  not  only  in  better  train- 
ing for  and  better  attendance  at  intercollegiate  games,  but  in 
producing  superior  work  in  general  athletics. 

Physical  culture  is  a  regular  part  of  the  College  curriculum. 
Each  student  is  required  to  attend  the  prescribed  exercise  of 
the  gymnasium  with  the  same  regularity  that  he  does  the 
instruction  of  the  class  room,  and  it  is  confidently  expected 
that  a  sound  mind  in  a  vigorous  body  will  henceforth  be  the 
resultant  of  a  college  course  at  Lafayette. 


42 


THE   LIBRARY. 


The  library  was  founded  in  1832  by  contributions  of  books 
from  the  friends  of  the  College,  and  it  grew  slowly  by  gifts 
and  small  purchases.  Since  1865  a  fee  of  one  dollar  a  term 
for  the  increase  of  the  library,  and  since  1871  a  fee  of  two 
dollars  a  term  for  the  reading  room  and  library,  have  been 
paid  by  each  student;  and  the  fees  for  matriculation  and 
graduation  have  also  in  part  been  appropriated  to  the  same 
object.  This  income  has  been  expended  almost  wholly  in 
books  immediately  connected  with  the  studies  of  the  course, 
with  a  view  to  buying  all  the  working  books  needed  for 
original  investigation  in  the  special  direction  in  which  each 
professor  has  wished  to  push  his  work. 

The  departments  in  which  it  is  strongest  are  Anglo-Saxon, 
early  French,  early  and  dialectic  English,  Christian  Greek 
and  Latin,  American  History,  Natural  History,  Chemistry, 
and  Mining.  A  suitable  home  for  these  books  has  been  one 
of  the  wants  of  the  College  for  many  years.  This  want  has 
now  been  happily  supplied  by  a  legacy  of  $30,000  devoted  to 
this  very  purpose  by  the  will  of  Augustus  S.  Van  Wickle, 
of  Hazleton,  Pa.,  who  died  on  June  8th,   1898. 

The  Van  Wickle  Memorial  Library  stands  east  of  the 
gymnasium,  a  modest  gem  of  architecture,  consisting  of  a 
central  structure  of  two  stories  flanked  by  wings  of  a  single 
story,  with  provision  for  extension  northward  whenever  the 
growth  of  the  library  demands  more  room  for  books. 


43 

It  consists  of  a  high  basement  cellar  of  light  stone,  and  a 
story  and  a  half  of  old  gold  mottled  Pompeian  brick,  with 
ornamental  terra-cotta  trimmings,  and  roof  of  red  tiles. 
The  east  wing  is  fireproof,  and  contains  the  book  stacks,  with 
room  for  something  more  than  50,000  volumes.  The  west 
wing  is  the  reading  room,  finished  in  Flemish  oak  with 
wainscot  and  paneled  ceilings.  A  beautitul  feature  here  is 
the  exquisite  west  window,  a  further  memorial  of  Mr.  Van 
Wickle.  The  central  part  contains  offices  and  certain  special 
rooms,  and  in  the  north  recess  a  reference  department  with 
working  tables,  where  dictionaries,  cyclopedias,  historical, 
scientific,  and  literary  serials,  and  other  works  of  reference  of 
frequent  use  are  kept  accessible  to  all. 

The  Washington  and  Franklin  Literary  Societies  have  in 
addition  well-selected  libraries,  aggregating  about  6000  vol- 
umes, making  in  all  a  collection  of  30,000  volumes. 

SCIENTIFIC   COLLECTIONS   AND   APPARATUS. 

The  College  has  valuable  collections  in  botany,  geology  and 
paleontology,  mineralogy  and  natural  history,  and  an  ample 
apparatus  in  the  different  departments  of  instruction.  Espe- 
cially notable  is  that  in  physics  and  applied  mechanics,  in 
chemistry,  metallurgy,  and  engineering.  There  are  also  val- 
uable models  in  machine  drawing,  stone  cutting,  crystallog- 
raphy, and  architecture.  A  valuable  addition  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  Latin  has  recently  been  made  in  a  full  collection 
of  photographs  of  Roman  remains.  They  are  mounted, 
framed,  and  displayed  in  the  Latin  room. 


44 


THE   FUNDS   OF  THE   COLLEGE, 

These  many  advances  upon  the  meagre  appliances  of  ear- 
lier days  have  of  course  involved  a  large  expenditure  of 
money.  The  most  of  it  was  secured  under  the  administra- 
tion of  Dr.  Cattell. 

Dr.  Cattell  had,  to  use  the  language  of  "  Ik  Marvel "  in 
speaking  of  him,  "  wondrous  winning  ways,"  and  soon  gath- 
ered a  host  of  liberal  friends  to  the  support  of  the  College. 
In  1863  the  total  value  of  the  College  property  was  $88,666, 
and  the  income  from  all  sources  was  less  than  $4000.  At  the 
present  time  the  total  value  of  the  College  property  is 
$1,100,000,  of  which  sum  a  little  more  than  $447,000  is  in 
the  form  of  productive  investments,  yielding  an  annual  income 
of  about  $25,000.  This  amount,  added  to  the  fees  from  the 
students,  is  still  insufficient  to  meet  the  current  expenses  of 

the  College. 

METHODS   OF   INSTRUCTION- 

This  sketch  should  not  be  closed  without  a  reference  to  the 
methods  of  instruction,  which  have  kept  even  pace  with  the 
improvements  in  other  directions.  In  the  work  of  the  class 
room  there  is  constant  illustration  and  manipulation.  The 
coal  fields,  ore  beds,  and  iron  furnaces  are  near  at  hand,  and 
every  resource  of  civil  engineering  in  its  practical  applica- 
tions is  displayed  almost  within  sight  of  the  campus.  There 
are  open  fields  for  the  botanist  and  the  surveyor;  laboratories 
for  the  physicist,  the  mechanic,  the  chemist,  the  electrician, 


PROF.    R.    B.    YOUNGMAN,    PH.  D. 


PROF.    EDSALL   FERRIER,    D.  D. 


PROF.    F.    B.    PECK,    PH.  D. 


45 

the  assayer ;  book  tables  and  working  libraries  for  the  lin- 
guist, the  critic,  the  historian,  and  the  philosopher.  All  study 
is  accompanied  by  exercises  of  practice  or  research. 

As  the  best  reward  of  faithful  work,  the  professors  con- 
stantly receive  from  medical  colleges,  theological  seminaries, 
and  universities,  assurances  of  the  good  training  of  Lafayette 
students,  their  manliness,  and  their  readiness  for  the  severer 
tests  of  professional  study.  The  same  testimony  as  to  the 
manly  character  and  thorough  training  of  the  students  in  the 
scientific  and  technical  courses  comes  from  those  who  have 
secured  their  services. 

Some  note  should  also  here  be  made  of  the  influences  that 
promote  the  culture  of  individual  character.  Whether  it  is 
the  comparative  freedom  from  temptations  to  idleness,  extrav- 
agance, and  dissipation,  or  the  spirit  of  the  place  and  the 
wholesome  moral  sentiment  which  prevails  among  the  stu- 
dents, there  seems  to  be  in  the  very  air  of  Lafayette  a  tonic, 
stimulating  not  only  to  scholarly  effort,  but  to  manliness  and 
the  temper  that  gives  men  a  serious  purpose  in  study. 

Doubtless  it  is  due  in  large  measure  to  the  religious  life  of 
the  College — the  prevalence  of  a  sturdy  Christian  belief. 
"  There  is  at  Lafayette,"  says  Donald  G.  Mitchell,  "  no 
doubting  of  the  Bible,  or  any  giving  to  it  a  courteous  and 
reverent  forgetting."  The  College  is  Presbyterian  in  its  tra- 
ditions, but  not  sectarian  in  any  narrow  or  exclusive  sense, 
and  in  other  respects  is  as  free  as  is  consistent  with  that 
judicious     vigilance     which    should    prevail    in    a    Christian 


46 

institution.  The  students  regularly  attend  morning  prayers, 
go  to  church  on  Sunday,  hold  voluntary  devotional  meet- 
ings twice  a  week,  and  organize  freely  for  Sunday-school 
and  mission  work  in  the  vicinity. 

Lafayette  has  a  creditable  representation  in  the  fields  of 
literature  and  science,  and  a  goodly  list  of  her  alumni  have 
become  eminent  in  professional  life.  Of  her  700  lawyers,  98 
are  or  have  been  judges,  members  of  Congress,  and  of  the 
Legislature;  of  professors  and  teachers  there  are  more  than 
300;  editors,  80;  physicians,  366;  in  the  technical  profes- 
sions, over  800.  Of  her  550  ministers,  40  have  gone  to  the 
foreign  field. 

With  a  Faculty  strong  and  progressive,  a  young  and  popu- 
lar President,  every  face  is  bright  with  hope,  and  every  pulse 
beats  strong  with  the  new  life  so  full  of  promise  for  the 
"  greater  Lafayette  "  of  the  future. 


PROF.    ALVIN    DAVISON,    PH.   D 


PROF.   A.    P.   FOLWELL,    A.  B. 


PROF.    W.    S.    HALL,    M.  E. 


III. 

THE  ENGINEERING  COURSES. 


I  HE  original  plan  of  the  College  contemplated  in- 
struction in  "  civil  and  military  engineering."  But 
more  than  thirty  years  passed  by  before  the  way 
was  at  last  open  for  the  establishment  of  regular 
courses  in  engineering.  The  foundation  for  these  courses 
was  laid  in  1866  by  Ario  Pardee,  Esq.,  of  Hazleton,  by  a 
gift  which  was  but  the  earnest  of  the  munificent  endow- 
ment afterwards  given  by  him  to  the  Pardee  Scientific 
Department. 

In  harmony  with  the  history  of  the  College,  this  depart- 
ment has  been  developed  as  the  need  for  it  has  arisen,  and  it 
has  grown  steadily  with  the  growth  of  the  engineering  inter- 
ests of  the  country.  The  first  course  undertaken  was  that  in 
Mining  Engineering.  It  was  contemporary  with  the  advanced 
course  in  Chemistry,  out  of  which  the  Chemical  Course  has 
grown.  Almost  immediately  the  course  in  Civil  Engineering 
was  started.  Only  after  the  lapse  of  some  years  was  the 
Electrical  Engineering  Course  added. 

A  more  favorable  location  for  an  engineering  school  is 
scarcely  to  be  imagined.  Easton  has  long  been  known  as 
"the  gateway  to  the  anthracite  coal  regions;"  mines  of  iron 

(47) 


48 

and  zinc  are  near  at  hand ;  one  of  the  finest  slate  deposits  in 
the  world  is  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  quarries  of 
many  kinds.  Iron  furnaces,  one  of  the  most  extensive  steel 
plants  in  the  country,  innumerable  cement  works,  and  many 
other  mechanical  and  industrial  works  are  within  easy  reach. 
The  whole  region  abounds  in  object  lessons  for  the  engineer; 
in  railways,  bridges,  tunnels,  electrical  plants,  and  innumerable 
illustrations  of  the  application  of  engineering  skill  to  the  prac- 
tical problems  of  the  civilization  of  the  day. 

The  handsome  building  which  bears  Mr.  Pardee's  name 
contains  the  lecture  roonfs,  libraries,  laboratories,  drawing 
rooms,  and  shops  of  the  engineering  departments.  The  De- 
partment of  Electrical  Engineering  is  under  the  direction  of 
Prof.  James  W.  Moore,  A.  M.,  M.  D. ;  the  Department  of 
Civil  Engineering,  of  Prof.  J.  M.  Porter,  C.  E. ;  the  Depart- 
ment of  Mining  Engineering,  of  Prof.  William  S.  Hall,  C.  E., 
E.  M.,  M.  S. ;  and  the  municipal  engineering  and  water  sup- 
ply connected  with  the  Department  of  Civil  Engineering  is 
under  the  charge  of  Associate  Professor  A.  P.  Folwell,  A.  B., 
assisted  by  instructors  in  each  department.  The  equipment 
of  the  several  departments  is  of  the  best  and  most  recent 
character,  and  is  being  constantly  added  to.  In  all  respects 
the  facilities  for  instruction  will  bear  comparison  with  any 
technical  school  in  America. 


IV. 


THE  COURSE  IN  CHEMISTRY  AND 
METALLURGY. 


I  HE  aim  of  this  course  is  to  train  men  for  practical 
work  in  chemistry,  either  as  chemists  in  iron  or 
steel  works,  in  manufacturing  establishments,  or 
as  chemical  manufacturers.  Great  attention  is 
paid  to  analytical  chemistry,  and  especially  to  the  chemistry 
and  metallurgy  of  iron  and  steel.  The  instruction  seeks  to 
give  the  students  not  only  thorough  intellectual  and  theo- 
retical training,  but  to  fit  the  graduate  for  immediate  dis- 
charge of  the  practical  duties  of  chemical  employment. 

The  graduates  of  the  course  have  met  with  the  widest 
recognition  as  competent  and  capable  chemists.  Some  of 
them  have  risen  to  great  distinction.  Those  who  have  given 
evidence  in  their  college  course  of  the  necessary  requirements 
and  capacity,  secure  immediate  and  remunerative  employment. 
Indeed,  at  the  present  time  the  demand  for  the  graduates  of 
this    course  is    considerably  in   excess  of  the   supply.     The 

(49) 


5o 

course  has  in  recent  years  outgrown  the  equipment  which 
the  department  possessed  in  the  old  laboratories.  It  is  now 
(1901)  looking  forward  to  a  new  era  which  has  been  brought 
about  by  the  generous  gift  of  a  building  which  is  known  as 
The  Gayley  Laboratory  of  Chemistry  and  Metallurgy.  It  is 
the  gift  of  James  Gayley,  Esq.,  of  the  Class  of  1876. 

The  new  laboratories  in  Gayley  Hall  have  been  designed 
to  meet  present  conditions,  and,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  to 
foresee  them,  future  requirements. 

The  lecture  room  will  seat  one  hundred  and  fifty  students, 
and  will  be  provided  with  a  full  illustrative  equipment,  in- 
cluding a  lantern  and  full  set  of  slides,  maps,  charts,  and 
large  apparatus  for  illustration.  So  far  as  possible,  it  is  in- 
tended that  individual  experiments  shall  be  performed  by  the 
student  on  a  somewhat  smaller  scale,  and  an  ample  outfit  and 
laboratory  space  has  been  provided  for  this  purpose.  There 
will  be  desk  room  for  over  two  hundred  men  in  well-lighted 
and  ventilated  rooms.  The  quiz  room  is  intended  for  the 
drill  of  small  sections  of  not  to  exceed  twenty-five  men, 
which  is  considered  essential  to  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  subject. 

One  large  laboratory  has  been  set  aside  for  advanced  work 
in  organic  chemistry,  physical  chemistry,  spectroscopic  work, 
&c.  This  will  have  a  complete  equipment,  including  a  large 
microscope  by  Zeiss  with  all  the  accessories,  with  several 
smaller  microscopes,  a  saccharimeter,  spectrometer,  refract- 
ometer,  mercury  vacuum  pumps,  Weston  ammeters  and  volt- 


5* 

meters,  &c.  A  large  part  of  the  apparatus  needed  is  already 
on  hand,  and  this  will  be  added  to  as  the  necessity  arises. 
The  department  has  a  very  fine  collection  of  platinum  ware, 
part  of  it  having  been  bought  from  the  estate  of  the  late  Prof. 
J.  P.  Cooke,  of  Harvard,  and  this  will  be  further  increased. 
There  will  be  a  separate  room  provided  for  water  and  gas 
analysis,  another  room  for  chemical  operations  in  gross,  such 
as  grinding  ores,  crystallization  and  precipitations  on  a  large 
scale,  and  a  third  room  for  assaying.  This  assaying  room 
will  contain  furnaces  such  as  are  used  in  Colorado  practice. 
Professor  Hart  will  make  a  trip  to  Denver  this  Summer  with 
the  purpose  of  giving  to  this  equipment  special  study. 

A  stock  room  is  provided  for  each  floor,  and  a  large  and 
well-lighted  room  in  the  basement  is  provided  for  lockers  and 
toilet  purposes. 

The  basement  contains  a  large  room  intended  for  a  metal- 
lurgical laboratory.  Special  attention  will  be  given  to  this  sub- 
ject, as  heretofore,  and  the  collections  will  be  largely  increased. 

Mr.  Henry  W.  Oliver,  of  Pittsburgh,  has  provided  a  special 
endowment  fund  for  a  chemical  and  metallurgical  library. 
The  Trustees  of  the  College  have  directed  that  this  shall  be 
called  The  Henry  W.  Oliver  Library,  that  it  be  housed  in  the 
new  building,  and  that  the  large  and  valuable  collection  of 
chemical  books  now  belonging  to  the  College  shall  be  placed 
with  those  purchased  for  the  new  library.  Extensive  pur- 
chases have  already  been  made,  and  additional  books  will  be 
added  as   the   funds   available    will    permit.      The    Baker  & 


5* 

Adamson  Chemical  Company  have  undertaken  to  supply  all 
the  furniture  and  cases  needed  for  this  room.  Professor  Hart 
has  also  promised  to  add  a  considerable  number  of  books  in 
addition  to  those  which  he  has  presented  since  the  gift  of  Mr. 
Oliver  was  made  known.  It  is  believed  that  this  library  will 
shortly  contain  an  unrivaled  collection. 

In  addition  to  the  books,  the  library  room  will  contain  the 
large  collection  of  special  apparatus  and  illustrative  specimens 
now  on  hand,  to  which  considerable  additions  will  be  made  as 
soon  as  possible.  Dust-proof  cases  will  be  provided  for  these 
specimens. 

A  special  room  for  photographic  purposes  has  been  pro- 
vided, to  which  the  present  photographic  apparatus  will  be 
transferred.  This  equipment  consists  of  three  cameras  pro- 
vided with  lenses  of  extra  quality,  together  with  all  necessary 
trays,  plate  holders,  &c.  The  largest  camera  will  cover  an 
8  x  10  plate,  and  is  suitable  for  photomicrographic  work.  A 
full  equipment  for  blue- print  work  will  be  added. 

The  building  will  be  fire-proof  throughout,  heated  by  steam 
and  lighted  by  electricity.  While  great  care  has  been  used  in 
providing  all  necessary  appliances,  the  laboratories  are  con- 
sidered to  be  shops,  and  the  finish  in  them  is  as  simple  as 
possible  so  that  any  needed  alterations  and  additions  can  be 
made  without  undue  outlay.  The  aspect  of  the  studies 
housed  under  this  roof  is  constantly  changing  as  our  knowl- 
edge increases,  and  care  has  been  taken  in  designing  to  leave 
room  for  additions  which  may  hereafter  become  necessary. 


53 

The  trend  of  the  instruction  heretofore  in  chemistry  and 
metallurgy  as  taught  in  Lafayette  College  has  been  intensely 
practical,  without  neglecting  theory.  Most  of  the  instructors 
have  themselves  been  engaged  in  the  practical  application  of 
the  principles  taught.  This  continues  to  be  true  at  present, 
and  is  believed  to  be  of  great  advantage  to  those  under  their 
care. 


CHRISTIAN  INFLUENCES. 


rAFAYETTE  COLLEGE  is  a  Christian  college.  It  seeks 
in  every  way  to  make  the  influences  of  college 
life  definitely  Christian.  It  is  a  college,  however, 
and  not  a  school.  The  scope  of  its  work  is  de- 
termined by  the  age  and  maturity  of  its  students  and  by 
the  weight  of  public  opinion  as  expressed  in  its  patrons 
as  well  as  in  its  governing  boards.  In  other  words,  it 
relies  on  influence  rather  than  compulsion  in  many  things. 
Yet  it  requires  attendance  on  all  the  ordinary  exercises  of 
each  student's  course.  This  idea  was  admirably  expressed 
some  years  ago  by  Dr.  Francis  A.  March,  the  beloved 
Professor  of  English  and   Comparative  Philology : — 

"  Compulsory  attendance  on  prayers  and  preaching  is  a 
special  object  of  attack.  But  it  is  almost  a  misnomer  to 
call  the  college  discipline  compulsion.  It  is  nothing  like  so 
strong  as  the  obligations  of  professional  life,  or  the  tyranny 
of  fashion,  or  social  habits,  or  home  influence.  A  college 
student  is  about  the  freest  man  there  is.  It  is  certainly  a 
pleasant  sight  to  see  our  College  now,  bathed  and  break- 
fasted and  ready  for  recitations,  gathering  at  morning 
prayers.     Our   beautiful    hill,    bright    in    the    early    sun,  the 

(54) 


KNOX  HALL.  — PARDEE  HALL. 


55 

valley  lying  in  rosy  mist,  with  the  rivers  glinting  through, 
the  great  mountains  looking  on  as  though  they  liked  the 
looks,  the  white  smoke  curling  upward  from  hearths  of 
homes  that  may  be  temples,  the  spired  fingers  of  the 
churches  pointing  heavenward,  the  College  campus,  with 
its  hundred  paths  all  leading  to  the  College  chapel,  the 
hundreds  of  young  men  rejoicing  in  the  morning  and  in 
nature  around  them,  which  is  in  itself  a  liberal  education, 
and  gathering  to  offer  a  morning  tribute  of  thanks  and 
praise  to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  and  ask  Him  for  stout 
hearts  and  clear  heads  for  the  labors  of  the  day  and  for 
the  scholar's  blessing — the  pure  heart  that  shall  see  God — 
is  a  sight  worth  seeing.  It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  it 
can  be  a  burden  to  any.  I  have  seen  many  generations  of 
college  students  grow  up  and  pass  through  life,  and  am 
fully  satisfied  that  the  habit  of  attendance  on  religious  ex- 
ercises in  colleges  has  been  a  most  powerful  influence  for 
good.  I  believe  it  still,  I  trust  it  still.  After  all,  the  proper 
work  of  college  is  to  make  Christian  men  of  sound  culture. 
It  is  not  so  much  to  develop  genius ;  genius  in  the  teens 
is  either  omnivorous  or  stupid,  and  either  way  considers 
professors  a  bore.  It  is  to  prepare  our  youth  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  good  citizens." 

Morning  prayers  are  held  each  morning  at  7.50,  and  all 
students  are  expected  to  be  present.  There  is  also  a  regu- 
lar service  each  Sabbath  at  eleven  o'clock,  at  which  the 
students  have  the  opportunity  of  hearing  a  number  of  the 


56 

best  preachers  of  the  Presbyterian  and  other  churches.  In 
addition  to  these  services  in  the  College  chapel,  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  holds  a  prayer  service  on  Sunday  and  Thursday  even- 
ings. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  is  conducted  by  the  Brainerd 
Society,  which  long  antedates  the  College  Y.  M.  C.  A.  move- 
ment. It  has  rooms  in  South  College,  and  in  addition  to 
its  prayer  meetings  conducts  voluntary  classes  for  Bible 
study  and  does  much  to  promote  vital  religion  in  the  Col- 
lege. It  was  organized  as  a  society  of  religious  inquiry, 
with  special  interest  in  missions,  and  took  the  name  of  David 
Brainerd,  the  devoted  missionary  to  the  Indians,  who  labored 
near  the  site  on  which  the  College  stands.  In  the  nineteenth 
century  forty  of  the  members  of  this  Society  went  to  the 
foreign  field.  Two  of  these  suffered  martyrdom.  Four  con- 
tributed to  the  work  of  translating  the  Bible  into  foreign 
languages. 

No   agency  contributes   more  to  the  culture  of  vigorous, 
useful  manhood  than  this  Association. 


VAN   WICKLE    LIBRARY.— LITERARY   SOCIETY. 


VI. 
THE  LITERARY  SOCIETIES. 


]HE  older  graduates  of  American  colleges  are  very 
likely  to  turn  back  with  especial  pleasure  to  the 
memories  connected  with  their  literary  societies. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  unfortunate  tendencies  of 
the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  to  undervalue 
these  societies,  and  treat  them  as  though  their  worth  rested 
only  or  mainly  in  the  part  they  played  in  developing  rhetori- 
cal skill.  As  the  power  of  expression  is  an  indispensable 
part  of  education,  the  work  of  these  societies  in  cultivating 
this  power  in  speech  and  in  writing,  through  speaking, 
debate,  and  essay,  is  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of  a 
sound  education. 

There  are  two  societies,  the  Washington  and  the  Frank- 
lin. They  have  beautiful  rooms,  libraries,  and  debating  halls, 
in  Pardee  Hall,  admirably  equipped  for  their  purposes  and 
affording  an  attractive  place  of  meeting.  A  number  of  prizes 
are  offered  for  speaking  and  debate,  the  friendly  rivalry 
between  the  societies  being  especially  stimulated  by  the 
annual  oratorical  contest  between  four  juniors  from  each 
society,  and   the    debate    in  which   three  seniors  from  each 

(57) 


58 

society  compete  for  prizes  of  substantial  value.  The  honors 
of  these  competitions  are  among  the  most  valued  in  the 
College  course. 

Every  student   is    strongly  urged  to    become  a  member 
of  one  of  these  societies. 


VIL 
ATHLETICS- 


By  Prof.  Francis  A.  March,  Jr.,  Ph.  D. 

]HE  best  educators  in  our  American  colleges  have 
for  many  years  encouraged  among  their  pupils 
an  interest  in  physical  development.  They  have 
recognized  not  only  that  a  thoroughly  equipped 
manhood  includes  a  sound  body,  but  that  the  influence  of 
athletic  training  is  wholesome. 

Young  men  who  have  perhaps  for  the  first  time  left  their 
homes  need  some  safety  valve,  or  the  new  freedom  may  lead 
to  license.  Athletic  sports  as  conducted  at  our  American  in- 
stitutions supply  this  need.  The  youth  who  is  training  for 
an  athletic  contest  knows  he  cannot  succeed  if  he  indulges  in 
any  form  of  dissipation,  and  the  athletic  hero  is  made  a  model 
for  others  who  cannot  hope  to  become  members  of  any  team. 
In  sympathy  with  this  view,  Lafayette  College  has  always 
encouraged  its  athletic  associations  in  their  work,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  has  taken  care,  by  careful  regulations  and  super- 
vision, to  prevent  excess. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  College  this  interest  in  physical 
culture  was  promoted  only  by  private  advice  and  example. 

(59) 


6o 

Indeed,  the  athletic  association  is  comparatively  modern,  and 
intercollegiate  athletics,  as  now  known,  is  in  all  of  our  col- 
leges a  growth  of  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 

For  some  years  before  that  time,  however,  contests  had 
been  held  in  various  forms  of  sport.  At  Lafayette  these  were 
first  between  classes,  or  groups  of  students,  then  with  local 
teams,  then  occasionally  with  other  institutions. 

In  the  early  seventies  uniformed  baseball  teams  began  to 
play  out  definite  schedules  of  games,  mostly  against  profes- 
sional nines.  The  first  recorded  baseball  game  against  an- 
other college  was  one  against  Lehigh  in  1872,  which  re- 
sulted in  an  easy  victory  for  Lafayette. 

Football  was  for  a  long  time  played  only  between  classes. 
In  1882  occurred  the  first  contest  with  another  college,  Lafay- 
ette winning  by  a  large  score  in  a  game  with  Rutgers. 

Boating  has  never  taken  hold  at  Lafayette,  probably  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  expense,  as  the  facilities  here  for  this  sport 
are  admirable. 

In  1880  the  first  track  meet  was  held,  and  in  a  short  time 
Lafayette  had  won  several  intercollegiate  prizes  in  this  depart- 
ment. At  present  the  track  event  of  the  year  is  the  annual 
contest  with  Lehigh  University. 

Having  once  begun,  the  interest  in  intercollegiate  athletics 
grew  rapidly,  and  by  1890  there  were  regularly  organized  and 
uniformed  teams  playing  elaborate  schedules  in  baseball  and 
football,  and  taking  part  in  many  collegiate  and  intercollegi- 
ate field  contests. 


GYMNASIUM.— FOOTBALL   TEAM. 


6i 

The  great  growth  in  the  equipment  of  the  College  and  the 
number  of  students  since  1890,  has  been  accompanied  by  an 
equal  growth  in  the  equipment  and  work  of  the  athletic  asso- 
ciations, and  the  success  of  the  representatives  of  Lafayette 
upon  diamond,  gridiron,  and  track  has  been  so  notable  as  to 
attract  to  Lafayette  the  attention  of  the  whole  college  world. 

Though  with  less  than  four  hundred  students  to  draw  from, 
she  has  more  than  held  her  own  against  even  the  big  univer- 
sities. In  football  she  has  lost  but  one  game  of  the  last 
twelve  to  her  near  rival,  Lehigh  University ;  but  one  game  of 
the  last  five  to  Cornell ;  and  has  won  two  games  of  the  last 
five  played  with  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  which  has 
been  during  that  time  generally  considered  to  be  one  of  the 
two  or  three  very  best  teams  in  the  country.  In  baseball  La- 
fayette's success  has  been  equally  remarkable,  including  vic- 
tories over  Harvard,  Yale,  Princeton,  and  Pennsylvania. 

The  Lafayette  College  Athletic  Association  is  now  man- 
aged by  a  graduate  athletic  committee,  which  controls  its 
policy  and  carefully  oversees  the  work  of  the  undergradu- 
ate managers.  This  committee,  when  first  selected  in  1890, 
found  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  financial  success  of 
the  Association  to  have  an  enclosed  field.  This  field, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Alumni,  has  been  procured  and 
equipped  at  a  cost  of  about  $12,000,  and  in  1900  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Trustees    of  Lafayette   College. 

The  Alumni  Committee  has  also  since  its  organization 
procured  efficient  coaches  for  the  athletic  teams,  established 


62 

training  quarters,  and  generally  systematized  the  work  of 
the  Association  and  placed  it  upon  an  equality  with  that  of 
our  largest  and  richest  American  colleges. 

In  1884,  through  the  generosity  of  some  of  the  Alumni, 
a  convenient  and  well-equipped  gymnasium  was  built  upon 
the  campus.  It  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  skilled  physician, 
who  was  also  one  of  Lafayette's  most  famous  athletes,  and 
it  has  given  indispensable  aid  in  the  development  of  the 
athletic  teams, 

All  students,  unless  for  special  reasons,  are  required  at 
set  times  to  exercise  in  the  gymnasium  under  the  direction 
of  Dr.  Updegrove,  and  while  this  class  work  is  not  directly 
connected  with  the  work  of  the  Athletic  Association,  its 
value  cannot  be  overestimated. 

In  the  gymnasium,  exhibitions  are  given  during  the 
Winter,  and  in  1901,  for  the  first  time,  basket-ball  contests 
were  held  against  teams  representing  some  of  our  leading 
colleges. 

The  gymnasium  is  under  the  direct  control  of  the  Faculty. 
The  Faculty  has  also  assumed  control  of  the  work  of  the 
athletic  associations  in  recent  years.  All  schedules  of 
games  are  submitted  to  it,  and  must  have  its  approval.  It 
has  established  strict  eligibility  rules  to  prevent  unfairly 
selected  teams  from  playing  in  the  name  of  Lafayette,  and 
through  its  athletic  committee  keeps  up  a  constant  super- 
vision of  the  work  of  the  teams.  It  insists  that  the  work 
in  the    College  classes  shall  not    be  interfered  with  by  the 


63 

work  of  the  Association,  and  requires  from  all  members 
of  all  teams  a  formal  permission  from  their  parents  or 
guardians  before  they  can  take  part  in  any  athletic  contest. 
The  wisdom  of  this  policy  is  sufficiently  proven  by  its 
results.  The  whole  atmosphere  of  College  life  is  given  a 
more  healthy  tone.  Nearly  every  student  takes  part  in 
some  form  of  athletic  activity,  and  the  College  campus 
during  the  hours  for  exercise  (covered  with  class  and 
"'Varsity"  teams),  the  tennis  courts,  the  local  golf  club, 
the  broad  and  beautiful  Lehigh  and  Delaware  Rivers  the 
scenes  of  so  many  a  rowing  or  swimming  feat,  add  im- 
measurably to  the  attraction  of  the  College,  to  the  charm 
of  "Lovely  Lafayette." 


3  0112105682857 


